What I find great about Winter is that you can layer clothes creating a great effect and also stay warm. I love layering two jackets, or a coat and a jacket, and make them look like one stylish piece. Here is one example that I came up with  right after I came from New York and I totally love it.
What do you think?


 

                                                                                 Coat: Eileen Fisher/ option Here
                                                                                 Leather jacket: Zara/ option Here
                                                                                 Jeans: Mango
                                                                 Shoes: ASOS/ great option for Spring Here 
                                                                                 Necklace: DIY, made by Bogdan and I
                                                                                 Sweater: Gap
                                                                                 Clutch: 3.1 Phillip Lim/ on sale Here 
                                                                 Sunglasses: thanks to zeroUV/ Here




 

Pay Attention!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
****************

Back in my misspent youth, while a fearless young reporter, I was covering an appearance of a very unpopular politician (A "Boss Hog" type local tyrant.) when a deputy sheriff threatened me with arrest... just for being there,  for doing my job.  Actually, that deputy knew my political leanings and I knew his -- and I knew who kept him in his job  -- and why.  He knew that I knew.

Anyway, he got overly loud with his threats, so I yelled out:  "Go ahead and arrest me."  I asked him if he'd ever heard of the constitution, particularly the First Amendment. 

That infuriated him.  His facial complexion became beet red. 

By that time I was sure I was headed to jail so nothing else much mattered and I threw caution to the wind.  I begged him to arrest me!  I assured him that not only would I have his job and every thing he owned,  but I'd own the county before I was finished dragging him and the county through the courts. 

The timing was perfect for at just the moment the deputy was about to lunge for me that dreaded politician, (Boss Hog) who owned the deputy, arrived and his attention was torn from me to his boss and I escaped the calaboose!

Lest you think I am making this up, this was back in the "bad ole days" when local government officials let contracts out on reporters.  That's a matter of public record. 

When I began a series investigating the drug trafficking in my neck of the woods, I was paid numerous visits by the Police Chief and Chief of Detectives who told me one of their undercover agents had reported to them that I was a target for a hit. 

That was somewhat troubling.  So, I immediately cleaned my guns, and made sure I had at least one with me from then on.

Nothing ever came of it and I made a complete thirteen week run of programs on the drug trafficking in our community, county, and region.

Now.  I tell you all this to say simply that I DO know a little something about getting one's hands dirty as a field reporter and I DO know a little something about threats from those whom  reporters cover. 

I've been retired for rather a long time now but I'd have thought things would have gotten better.  Apparently they have not.  Powerful people STILL enjoy throwing their weight around.

The stories we are just now beginning to hear of the intimidation of reporters by the Obama White House may seem a little strained to the uninitiated.  Believe me, they are NOT.

What DOES surprise me, however, is that the stories are coming out, not just now, but at all --  especially the stories of reporter abuse coming from members of the Mainstream Media.

Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, knows the MsM has been a lap dog of the Obama Administration. They've promoted the guy, covered for him, run interference for him, in a modern form of "slobbering lust" for Obama's Marxist approach to governing the US.

One could easily feel the MsM is getting their comeuppance with all this. We have warned many times that the thing the MsM seems to NEVER understand is that the leftist politicians, once in power, will seek, almost immediately, to cower the press, or shut them up altogether.  The press  never seems to believe it until their presses are smashed.

This time, however, the MsM and Obama share an ideology.  That places the MsM in a difficult place ... between a rock and a hard place, as it were. As the old expression goes:  "They have made their bed -- now they must lie in it."

BUT.  The Obama people bit of more than they can chew when the lit into Bob Woodward.

I'm not a big fan of Mr. Woodward, though I respect him and his work.  Mr. Woodward has nothing to prove to anyone.  He made his bones quite a long time ago. He's not just any other "big boy."  Woodward is a giant.

By digging in and standing by his story of threats from the Obama White House, he has opened the door for others to publicly relate their stories of "reporter abuse."

We have seen the White House press corp in near revolt in recent days, as well.  All is NOT WELL in Obamaland.

Months ago, we spelled out for our readers what to expect in a second term of Obama. Raw abuse of power.  It has only just begun.

In a column entitled:  "Wannabe Dictator," my friend, Alan Caruba, said recently:  "When President Obama said, 'I’m not a dictator' on the day the sequester was activated, March 1st, he should have finished the sentence, 'but I intend to be one' "   SOURCE:  http://www.factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2013/03/wannabe-dictator.html     

Alan was/is spot on!  There is frightening stuff going on within the Obama Administration that should give every American pause -- and  -- reason to pay attention.  I read an expression recently that said:  "Any American not outraged today is not paying attention!"

Evidence is piling up that the Obama Administration is preparing for a rebellion by the American people.  I do not say this lightly. 

When a domestic government agency is purchasing thousands of armored vehicles, thousands of combat rifles, billions of rounds of ammunition, guard towers, and bullet proof check-point booths, etc, is one justified in thinking that maybe Obama has created the civilian armed force he spoke of early in his campaign?  I think so. I DON'T WANT TO THINK THAT, but the evidence is pointing solidly in that direction.

Now.  After word has begun to leak out of press intimidation, is it outside the realm of possibility that the MsM is not reporting this --  not so much as a result of their love for Obama but as the result of their FEAR of Obama?  Seems to me it is worth consideration.

The MsM would do well to remember that in any attempt to put down a rebellion, the government will take over the press.  Don't believe me?  Abraham Lincoln shuttered newspaper offices and jailed editors.

"But we've got the Internet," you say.  No. Not any longer.  At the first sign of trouble Obama can -- and will -- simply switch off the Internet in the US.  Remember those Executive Orders some of us warned you of?

These are truly perilous times in America.  The recent government attack on the Second Amendment has only outraged the America public and bolstered the grim determination of gun owners across America to stand fast and fight.

The plain truth is -- if the MsM doesn't soon snap out of their love-lorn stupor for Obama they will find themselves running off single sheet broadsides on hand-cranked mimeograph machines in the corner of a darkened basement concealed from government agents searching diligently in the "round about" for them.

Think I'm overdoing it, over-thinking it ?  Just watch -- and wait.

© J. D. Longstreet

By Findalis

Not the type of tanks that store oil, gas, or other liquids.  But the type of tanks that are used in battle.  That is the latest that I have found from my dear friend a12iggymom.

Obama DHS Purchases 2,700 Light-Armored Tanks to Go With Their 1.6 Billion Bullet Stockpile.

This is getting a little creepy.

According to one estimate, since last year the Department of Homeland Security has stockpiled more than 1.6 billion bullets, mainly .40 caliber and 9mm.

DHS also purchased 2,700 Mine Resistant Armor Protected Vehicles (MRAP).

 

Modern Survival Blog reported:

The Department of Homeland Security (through the U.S. Army Forces Command) recently retrofitted 2,717 of these ‘Mine Resistant Protected’ vehicles for service on the streets of the United States.

Although I’ve seen and read several online blurbs about this vehicle of late, I decided to dig slightly deeper and discover more about the vehicle itself.

The new DHS sanctioned ‘Street Sweeper’ (my own slang due to the gun ports) is built by Navistar Defense (NavistarDefense.com), a division within the Navistar organization. Under the Navistar umbrella are several other companies including International Trucks, IC Bus (they make school buses), Monaco RV (recreational vehicles), WorkHorse (they make chassis), MaxxForce (diesel engines), and Navistar Financial (the money arm of the company).

Read More: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

Read more: http://MinuteMenNews.com/2013/03/obama-dhs-purchases-2700-light-armored-tanks-to-go-with-their-1-6-billion-bullet-stockpile/#ixzz2MbRLiLBq

First the government buys billions of rounds of ammunition.  Now light tanks suitable for urban warfare.  Who the hell does Barack Hussein Obama believes he is going to be attacking?  Zombies?  It is beginning to look as if this government regime is preparing for a war with its own people.  And I might not be far from the truth if the Democrats do not take back the House in 2014.

Week 5 of the One Room Challenge and we are in the home stretch people! (catch up on weeks 1 - 4 here). It is a good thing too, because I don't think the rest of my house can take much more of this. Isn't it crazy how work in one room makes all the rooms around it into chaos?

This week I finished the vanity for the girls' room. My mom bought them this sweet little make-up table a while back and they looove to use it for their morning primp sessions. (Sorry but this bad blogger forgot to take a proper before picture so this is as close as it gets.)


It had already been painted when we got it but it was just a sugar coat and there were several nicks and dents that needed to be fixed. So I filled in the holes with wood filler, sanded it down and took it outside to spray paint. Luckily this step was done before the weather turned on me.


Sorry Richard Branson, but you were on top of the recycling pile. Love that BeeGee hair thing you got goin though.

Once it was painted white I got out my navy craft paint and the smallest brush I could steal from the girls' art supplies and decided to paint a little trim around the doors and drawer.

I cut a piece of paper to size, measured out the size and length of the border I wanted and then cut it out with my trusty x-acto knife. A little lesson learned - don't cut out the entire border or you will essentially just cut a big square out of the paper. Then you'll have to re-measure and re-cut your template. And you'll get frustrated and cuss under your breath like an old man and forget to take progress pictures of the whole thing.

Do yourself a favor and cut out everything except the corners, thus leaving your center in tact. You'll have to free-hand your corners when you paint, but it's better than free-handing the whole thing. If that makes sense.


The template worked fairly well. I did have to go back and touch up in some spots, and the lines aren't razor perfect, but then again, neither am I. And thanks Linda for convincing me to trim out the mirror as well. Smashing.


I picked up the gold hammered knobs, or the 'sparkly knobs' as they are known to the 5-year-old set, at Hobby Lobby for the ubiquitous 50% off.


And as a final touch I painted out the inside using the left over ceiling paint.


It would be bad if I decided to keep this for myself right? Luckily for the girls its a tad small for me, so it is all theirs.


In other news, this is happening.


I wanted to be able to show you the finished piece but it is STILL not dry and instead spread out all over my living room floor. But it is looking good and hardware is in route. Next week my friends.

Makes me happy to see a list with so many lines thru it.

1. Come up with functional floor plan
2. Paint walls/ceiling/trim
3. Paint dresser (new hardware too) Progress
4. Update vanity (maybe some fun color or hardware)
5. Find curtains and add trim
6. Add a rug and new bedding Progress
7. Hang art and create some personalized pieces Progress
8. Find/Install new light fixture (buh bye ceiling fan)
9. Reupholster chair and possibly add comfy floor cushions 
10. Find/Make lampshade(s) 

For quite some time I didn't approach sporty-chic trend. This look is a result of the fact that two weeks ago, in a wonderful Sunday I couldn't decide what to wear; either something casual or something chic and I ended up mixing them. Voila!


                                                                           Coat: c/o Tart Collections/ Here
                                                                           Bracelets: Meredith Wendell, thanks to Polyvore/ on sale Here
                                                                           Shoes: Mango/ Here
                                                                           Pants: Adidas/ similar Here
                                                                           Sweater: thanks to Sheinside / Here
                                                                           Sunglasses: thanks to zeroUV/Here
                                                                           Bag: Cynthia Rowley/ great option Here

Universal Background Check = Backdoor Gun Registry
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
******************************

Just so we are clear -- I am against the proposed universal background check for gun purchasers.

Why?  Because it is pure bovine scatology and a load of horse hockey. Ultimately, a universal background check will lead directly -- and quickly -- to a national gun registry.

At its core there is very little difference between a background check and registering a weapon. In fact many are referring to he Universal Background Check as "Universal Backdoor Gun Registration." 

How's that? 

Well, first and foremost, your name is suddenly on a government list of names of people who want to purchase a weapon. RED FLAGS go up all over our progressive/socialist/Marxist/authoritarian government!  "Gads! Another gun nut!  We'd better keep a close eye on him/her!"   See, anyone, and I do mean, ANYONE, expressing a desire to purchase a weapon, of any kind, in America today is considered by our government as a threat, a potential domestic terrorist. 

Actually, it appears a universal background check law is the only part of the gun control proposals in Congress that has any chance at actually being passed into law.

In case you don't know, the UBC would extend background checks to purchasers of guns at gun shows -- and -- private sales of guns. (That is to say -- if you decide you want sell your 12-gauge to your hunting buddy Joe, then Joe must undergo a government background check before he can actually buy the weapon from you!) 

What about gun sales or transfers of guns between family members?  Well, you may be surprised to learn that there are those pushing -- HARD -- for background checks of family members transferring or selling guns within the family.  That would include the centuries old tradition of grandfathers and fathers passing on their guns to the next generation. 

And then there is this:  "Advocating universal background checks may leave the uninformed with the impression that this measure would solve the issue of criminals obtaining guns; it doesn't. According to a 2001 Department of Justice study, 78.8% of criminals get their guns from sources outside of retail store purchases. 39.6% get guns from friends or family while another 39.2% get guns from the street or other illegal means. Universal background checks don't address illegal trafficking."  SOURCE:  http://www.policymic.com/articles/27309/6-biggest-problems-with-mandatory-gun-background-checks

Only a liberal would be naive enough to believe they can control private gun sales in America, especially here in the southern states of America where I live.  As I was writing this, several ways to get around that occurred to me. And if they occurred to me, you can bet they will sure as heck be practiced by my enterprising fellow southerners.

Look.  When the people of the United States decided they wanted security more than they wanted freedom, the constitution was trashed. 

We live today in a post constitution America.  Our President  just makes up the law as he goes and issues orders much as a dictator does.  The other two branches of the government are irrelevant.  The Congress and the Supreme Court simply don't matter anymore.  Besides, those of us who are not Marxists don't trust either the Congress or the Court.  Why should we?  They've been gelded by a fast talking con-man in the White House and they cannot gather enough courage among them to stop him.

As of this writing, I am beginning to believe we will wind up with, at the very least,  a universal background check law.  After all the sound and fury from gun grabbers in Congress and the administration, and what, in my estimation, has been a rather weak show of resistance from the gun owner organizations, one can, I believe, expect legislation of some kind to clear the Congress and be signed by the President.

I know.  I know!  THIS IS INFRINGEMENT  -- and it is forbidden by the constitution.  BUT -- we are not ruled by the constitution anymore!  The US is no longer a representative republic.  We are an oligarchy. Yes.  Now the US is a country with a political system governed by just a few of the so-called politically elite sometimes referred to as our "paternalistic ruling elite."  Unfortunately, they are Marxists -- or -- they are ruled, themselves, by Marxists.

America is, indeed, a brave new world with brave new masters bent on destroying the one country offering the single best hope for mankind on the planet.   

© J. D.Longstreet

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

There are many rituals in accordance with tradition, but there is one tradition that very few people know about.

Shortly after a new Pope is enthroned, the Chief Rabbi of Rome seeks an audience. He is shown into the Pope's presence, whereupon he presents the Pope with a silver tray bearing a velvet cushion. On top of the cushion is an ancient, shriveled envelope. The Pope symbolically stretches out his arm in a gesture of rejection. The Chief Rabbi then retires, taking the envelope with him and does not return until the next Pope is elected.

A new Pope's reign was shortly followed by a new Chief Rabbi. He was intrigued by this ritual and that its origins were unknown to him. He instructed the best scholars of the Vatican to research it, but they came up with nothing.

When the time came and the Chief Rabbi was shown into his presence, they faithfully enacted the ritual rejection but, as the Chief Rabbi turned to leave, the Pope called him back.

"My brother," the Pope whispered, "I must confess that we Catholics are ignorant of the meaning of this ritual enacted for centuries between us and you, the representative of the Jewish people. I have to ask you, what is it all about?"

The Chief Rabbi shrugged and replied: "We have no more idea than you do. The origin of the ceremony is lost in the traditions of ancient history."

The Pope said: "Let us retire to my private chambers and enjoy a glass of kosher wine together; then with your agreement, we shall open the envelope and discover the secret at last." The Chief Rabbi agreed.

Fortified in their resolve by the wine, they gingerly pried open the curling parchment envelope and with trembling fingers, the Chief Rabbi reached inside and extracted a folded sheet of similarly ancient paper.

As the Pope peered over his shoulder, he slowly opened it. They both gasped with shock —

It was a bill for the Last Supper — from "Moishe the Caterer."

Remark: that joke is probably as old as Papacy, but right now it's relevant again, for a while...

March is here and soon it will (finally) be spring. Thank god. There is no season that does more for my mental well being than spring. And since I try my best not to dance in the streets anymore, I celebrate this much needed change in little ways. Like on my hands.

My hands are in terrible shape right now. Thanks to another weekend spent working on the One Room Challenge the insides are an umpa lumpa orange from removing stain and my fingers are covered in paint...again. Not to mention their general dryness.

But as soon as my projects are complete, the first place I'm going is to get myself a mani/pedi. There is no better reward. Now to decide which spring colors to choose.

all colors by Essie

How do you celebrate the (almost) arrival of spring? Did this winter last as long for you? Have you seen my flip flops? I can't find them anywhere.

The End Is, Ur, ALMOST Nigh
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*******************

In keeping with today's custom of placing everyone in a class, group, a pigeon hole of some kind, you can place me in with the: "It ain't gonna be so bad" crowd.

I think weathering the results of SEQUESTER will all depend upon just how much pain our paternalistic ruler Obama wants to bring to bear on his wayward children.

Yep!  This ain't my first rodeo.  Been around THIS block before.  Deja vu, all over again. All those little pearls of wisdom apply.

I have never seen it fail -- from the local level to the national and international level -- when the amount of money any government lays claim to is threatened by a decrease, they ALWAYS cry doom and gloom, rolling out images of "The End of Days."  ALWAYS.

You may find this difficult to believe (If you follow the Mainstream Media, that is.) -- but nobody much is listening to the President's dire predictions of imploding government.  (Actually, nobody, much, is listening to the President anymore, anyway!)

I sometime think the politicians and the press have forgotten about all of us consumers of news out here in the hinterlands and they are just talking ABOUT themselves TO themselves.

Think about it for a moment:  If the public HAD been listening to all the blather coming from the MsM and from inside the beltway of DC in the past few months, there would be panicked crowds running rampant in the streets of America.  There are not.

So ... why not? What happened?

Well, for those of us who do not worship at the feet of Obama, it became clear during Obama's first campaign that the MsM would be the democratic propaganda bureau for all things Obama.  We turned them off THEN.

As it became clear to those who support Obama or, at least, DID support Obama, there was, and is, a near incestuous relationship between the Mainstream Media and Obama, many have, themselves, shut their ears to the never ending flood of rhetoric flowing from the White House and filtered through the caresses of the prime paramour -- the Mainstream Media.

Besides, the American public has been lied to so consistently by the Obama Administration that very little value is placed on anything coming out of the White House and NOTHING from the Mainstream Media.

You know, I have come to believe, along with a number of other commentators, that the primary concern of the political left is not so much the damage sequestration might cause to the country, but that there might not be any damage -- and -- that the American people will learn that spending CAN be cut and common sense brought back to the way we manage our nation's finances and American can pull herself together and regain her power and influence in the world.   I think the progressive left fears that outcome more than anything else.

Look.  If we cannot manage what amounts to a measly two-percent cut in our spending then, I have to believe, there is no hope of America ever setting herself aright.

The President may have bitten off more than he can chew this time.  Another President once said:  "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool ALL the people All the time."  Apparently, Obama has never heard that expression.

Peggy Noonan asked in a recent column:  "How's the president's game going?"  She went on to say:  "What's new is that almost everyone does seem to understand he's playing games. He used to get more credit. His threats of coming mayhem and his lack of interest in easing it have dimmed his luster."  SOURCE: http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html

It has become obvious over the past few weeks that Obama has never shifted out of campaign mode.  He is campaigning for the 2014 takeover of the House of Representatives by the democrats giving him complete and utter control of the Congress with no electorate to answer to for two whole years.  That's what Obama wants and that is his goal.

Ms. Noonan calls it "permanent campaign:" " ... the president's disdain for Congress and for Republicans, the threats of damage unless he gets his way, the first lady's forays—is part of the permanent campaign, and the immediate sequester campaign.

But they push it too far. It feels uncalibrated, over some invisible line.

It looks like what critics have long accused this White House of being—imperious, full of overreach, full of itself."  SOURCE:  http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html 

Frankly, my only concern about the effects of sequestration is that which it will have on the US military.   It cannot even be argued that it will decimate the US Armed Forces at a time when we are quite probably the most vulnerable we have ever been to rogue nations like North Korea and Iran not to mention the ongoing terrorist threats.

Congress should move immediately to do whatever is necessary to see that the deep cuts to our military are mitigated.

In the long run, this sequestration thing might turn out to be a good thing for America.  It is just possible that we might actually learn a little about the value of things. Even more importantly, we might learn WHICH things we REALLY need and those we don't.

Now THAT ought to scare the living daylights out of the government!

© J. D. Longstreet